The 2016 semiquincentennial law identified four leading cities for major events.
The named cities are Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Charleston, South Carolina. Each has important connections to the American Revolution and the formation of the United States, making them natural locations for anniversary programming.
The law called for events in locations of historical significance rather than concentrating the celebration in only one national capital. These four cities represent several major Revolutionary-era centers: Boston was a flashpoint of resistance, Philadelphia hosted the Continental Congress, New York was strategically important, and Charleston was a major Southern port.
Other communities may hold America250 programs, but the four listed cities have a distinct statutory designation. This makes “four” different from the number of original colonies or the number of states in the modern United States.